Feminism Flashcards
What is the public sphere?
The world of work, politics and culture, where society’s ideas and goals are formed
Origins of feminism
- Around the time of the industrial revolution
- Liberal feminists such as Wollstonecraft wanted society to see women as rational and capable
- Women wanted basic rights and formal equality
Three waves of feminism
- Liberal feminism
- Marxist/radical feminism
- Post-modern feminism
Key aspects of liberal feminism
- Women are as rational and capable as men
- Women should have the same education as men to give them more autonomy
- Discrimination against women should end
- This could be done as long as women were enfranchised
What do many modern liberal feminists support?
Affirmative action is necessary to ensure women have equal opportunities to men
Example of positive discrimination towards women in the UK/US
UK: use of all-women shortlists by the Labour party
US: gender was added to affirmative action policies in 1967
Key work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Women and Economics (1898)
What is an androcentric society?
A society which only represents male perspectives
How did Perkins view the role of women in society?
- Men had created a society where women were ‘locked to their homes’.
- This society is created and is not a result of nature or biology.
- She saw society as androcentric
How did Perkins view human nature?
She suggested that women and men are ‘the same within’
What social programmes did Perkins suggest would improve women’s opportunities?
- Centralised nurseries
- Cooperative kitchens
Difference between Marxist and liberal feminists
Liberal feminists see discrimination as the main problem in society, whereas Marxist feminists suggest it is instead capitalism
What evidence do Marxist feminists provide to suggest that under capitalism, women are viewed as property?
- Women take the man’s surname
- The line of descent passes through men
What is reproductive labour?
Unpaid labour done by women in the home, such as cooking and cleaning, as well as bearing and raising children
How do Marxist feminists argue that a socialist revolution will end female oppression?
As men and women would be economically equal in a socialist society (due to common ownership), marriage was no longer based on economic relations.
What do radical feminists argue is the root cause of all oppression?
The patriarchy
What is the patriarchy?
A system of control in society where men dominate and exploit women
Why do radical feminists argue that a socialist revolution will not end the patriarchy?
Women were discriminated against throughout history, before capitalism
What is the private sphere?
The family, the home and the body - unregulated by the state
‘The personal is the political’
Radical feminists argue that issues in the private sphere have been ignored yet they are key to female oppression
How do radical feminists view gender?
- They accept men and women have biological differences
- Gender itself is a social construct, where women are expected to fill the role that men have created for them
Key work of Simone de Beauvoir
The Second Sex (1949)
What is existentialism?
Humans have no nature but use their freedom to create themselves through their own actions
De Beauvoir’s theory of the ‘Self and Other’
Men see themselves as the Self and see women as the Other, therefore a threat to them
What did de Beauvoir argue about femininity?
- It has to be a myth as humans have no inherent nature or essence (existentialism)
- Women are socialised to become feminine through male-constructed ideas - “one is not born, but rather becomes a woman”
What 4 suggestions did de Beauvoir have for a more equal society?
- Women should work
- Women should become intellectuals
- Women should exercise their sexuality as they see fit
- Women must seek economic justice in a socialist society
What is the difference between equality and difference feminists?
Equality: Aim of feminism is to have equality between men and women
Difference: See women and men as biologically different and society should better accommodate these differences
Example of a difference feminist and their key work
Carol Gilligan
In a Different Voice (1982)
Explanation of equality feminism
- See the patriarchy as a male imposed structure
- By removing the patriarchy, men and women can have sexual equality
Explanation of difference feminism
- Clear biological differences between men and women matter
- Equality feminism promotes the idea that women should be more like men, which difference feminists oppose
- Women should create a woman-based culture where society revolves around their values
What is cultural feminism?
The formation of a new culture based on feminine traits such as peacefulness and nurture
What is separatist feminism?
Political and sexual inequalities between men and women cannot be resolved so heterosexual relationships should be opposed and women should all live together
Key work of Kate Millett
Sexual Politics (1970)
What type of feminist is Kate Millett?
Radical
How did Kate Millett view marriage?
An exchange of female domestic services and sex in return for financial support
How did Millett view society?
- The patriarchy is present throughout society, in all aspects including education and religion
- The key institution of this patriarchy is the family structure
How did Millett suggest the patriarchy could be overturned?
A sexual revolution
Features of Millett’s sexual revolution
- End of sexual taboo
- End of the family unit as it socialises the patriarchy
- Full economic independence for women
- Re-examination of masculine and feminine gender roles
Key socialist feminist
Shelia Rowbotham
Features of socialist feminism
- Women’s work is unpaid particularly in the home
- Women in the workforce often earn less than their male counterparts
- Propaganda makes this system appear ‘natural’
- Reform will never be enough to end patriarchy or capitalism so both should be tackled through revolutionary means
Key work of Shelia Rowbotham
Women’s Consciousness, Man’s World (1973)
What is Rowbotham’s evidence that capitalism and patriarchy are linked?
Many societies which are not Western capitalist ones do not have a patriarchy, or at least not to the same extent
How does Rowbotham argue that capitalism oppresses women?
- Men dominate top positions in employment, links to idea that men own women
- Traditionally, men owned women through marriage
- Women are unable to reach top employment roles as they have to fulfill domestic duties
What is intersectionality?
The idea that women are not just oppressed based on their gender but based on other factors such as race, gender and class
Features of postmodern feminism
- Intersectionality
- No single explanation for the oppression of women as different women face oppression in different ways
- Many argue that previous feminist movements supported white, middle-class women
Key work of bell hooks
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981)
Why was bell hooks critical of Betty Friedan?
She argued Friedan was too focused on enabling white middle-class women to further succeed and this ignored the issues other groups of women faced.
For example, Friedan was focused on enabling women to enter the workforce instead of having families, but this ignored other groups of women who were not able to have families in the first place.
What was bell hooks’ answer to oppression?
For people to acknowledge all forms of oppression and work together to end them all
What is post-feminism?
People who believe the original aims of the feminist movement have been achieved so now women should instead focus on celebrating their own achievements
Where do most feminists agree in regards to human nature?
- Biological differences are not relevant to the way women should be treated
- Gender is a cultural not a biological construct
How do liberal feminists view human nature?
- Human nature is the same for men and women, both rational
- All humans are of equal moral value so are entitled to formal equality
How do Marxist feminists view human nature?
Gender roles are a part of the construct of capitalism and are conditioned to believe reproductive labour has no value
How do radical feminists view human nature?
Gender roles are artificially constructed and imposed on women and women are conditioned to believe these are natural
How do difference feminists view human nature?
Women and men are biologically different and equality is dangerous as it encourages women to be more like men
How do postmodern feminists view human nature?
- Gender roles are imposed on women by society
- Intersectionality and women have diverse characteristics and so not all women have similar human nature
Where do feminists agree in terms of the state?
- The state has historically been complicit in women being subordinate to men
- The state could be used to enhance women’s positions in society
How do liberal feminists view the state?
- The state can provide formal equality to women
- Some feminists (Friedan) believe the state could go further through affirmative action
How do radical/socialist feminists view the state?
- Gradual reforms by the state are not enough to tackle gender inequality
- The state needs to take drastic reforms (e.g. Millett argued for the end of pornography)
- Some revolutionary feminists argue for the end of the current state and a state run by women to be introduced
Where do feminists agree in terms of society?
Society has placed women in a subordinate role where they suffer institutionalised disadvantages
What are separatist feminists?
Feminists who argue for creating a society where men and women live separately
How do liberal feminists view society?
- Society has failed to accept women as rational
- Society fails to facilitate women from achieving, e.g. through a lack of education
- This has created an androcentric society
How do second and third wave feminists view society?
- Women’s subordinate role is a result of the patriarchy
- There should be a revolution which overthrows patriarchy
How do radical feminists view society?
- The patriarchy is pervasive across the whole of society including education and the media
- de Beauvoir in particular examined how women were seen as the ‘Other’ in society and expected to fit in a culture created by men
How do postmodern feminists view society?
Society is made of many systems of oppression including the patriarchy
Where do feminists agree in terms of the economy?
- Women are subordinate to men in the economic sphere (e.g. gender pay gap)
- Women should be economically independent from men
How do liberal feminists view the economy?
- Biological differences were insignificant in regards to the economy
- There should be equality of opportunity in the labour market
How did Rowbotham view the economy?
- Women were oppressed by capitalism because they are a cheap source of labour
- They are also exploited in the home through unpaid reproductive labour
Key debate: public vs private sphere
Public sphere: Liberal feminists see discrimination in the public sphere yet they do not wish to challenge the private sphere as this is outside of the state’s juristiction
Private sphere: Radical feminists see the personal as the political, the patriarchy is passed through generations through social conditioning in the home
Key debate: difference vs equality feminists
Difference feminists: Reject androgyny instead arguing that the biological differences between men and women should be acknowledged and women should not try to be like men
Equality feminists: See biological differences as insignificant to how women should be treated and that gender is a social construct
Key debate: reform or revolution
Reform: Liberal feminists want to grant formal equality to all through legal changes which empower women economically
Revolution: Radical feminists see the patriarchy as deep rooted in society which must be completely uprooted through restructuring society in a sexual revolution
Is feminism a single doctrine?
YES - feminists all have the same goal, which is a more equal society for men and women. They all see women as subordinate and simply have different methods as to how to change this.
NO - Many liberal feminists see equality as being achieved, while radical and socialist feminists demand drastic changes to society
